


Two Instagram Hotties

by arcadian88



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Gen, Hugo's interpretation of his assignment, Humor, Missing scene from season 2, Villanelle and the concept of friendship, Would Hugo and Villanelle get along?, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24945961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcadian88/pseuds/arcadian88
Summary: "One rich insta-hottie coming up."
Kudos: 21





	Two Instagram Hotties

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to explore what a Hugo/Villanelle interaction might look like and from there this spiraled into existence.

_How utterly insane._ Villanelle thought as she studied one of the three boards dedicated to the Peel investigation. It was like seeing a splatter art interpretation of Eve’s mind. A timeline of the late Alister Peel ran down the length of the board, article clippings of Aaron’s business ventures following it. Mugshots of dead ugly people, Villanelle assumed they were dead anyway, dispersed through the rest of the space. The thing that really brought the whole thing together was the oh so many sticky notes in a dizzy array of colors. They had suffered the chaos of Eve’s mind so much so that they lost their stickiness and had to be held up against their will by push pins. Villanelle wondered if she was the pin or the one getting pinned. Then she conceded that she’d happily be pinned by Eve any day. Although boss-Eve was not a version of Eve Villanelle was particularly fond of at the moment. Eve had been badgering her since their meeting in her apartment about reading the stupid file. Villanelle hadn’t given it a second thought from the moment Eve left.

She sensed a presence behind her and whirled around, snatching a wrist, dragging the body towards her before slamming it against the board causing a number of unpinned sticky notes to flutter to the ground like sad confetti.

“Easy.” The guy said, raising his free hand in surrender.

Annoyance flairs at this. Why do people treat her like a wild animal? A thing to be tamed, broken. She flashes back to Konstantin telling her about Raymond in that awful hotel room “...who terminates the contracts, like, uh, racehorses. When they can't race anymore.” Is she a racehorse? Owned by Konstantin? Loaned out to MI6? Running only when the gun goes off and someone opens the gate? Nope, too deep, Villanelle thinks. Playing in the emotional kiddie pool where she can see the bottom is much for fun.

“I’m Hugo. Eve wants me to make Billie an Instagram profile, she sent me.”

“Oh,” Villanelle said letting him go. “Okay.” She said mockingly at him and put him down.

He straightened his shirt which Villanelle could tell from its fibers that it was real Ralph Lauren. It was a good thing that Eve’s colleagues had higher standards of clothing choices, hopefully they would be a good influence on Eve.

Instagram, what a pathetic waste of time. Villanelle didn't understand why people spent so much time showcasing a version of a life they wanted online instead improving their actual life that they have to live in every day. 

“So what are we doing exactly?”

“Well you’re supposed to be this New Yorker insta hottie or something.” Hugo flipped his hands up in a shrug. “I admit that I have not read the file Eve gave me detailing your cover.”

Villanelle imitated his movements flawlessly and replied, “Me neither.”

They try the green screen for a few minutes but it soon dissolves into Villanelle being the one behind the camera and Hugo doing dramatic imitations of celebrity photo-shoots in magazines. Later on they transitioned to both of them sitting at Hugo’s desk cracking up as they put Eve’s photograph against different backgrounds. Putting Eve in space was the funniest so far. It made her look both lost and unimpressed with her surroundings. Hugo glances up at the clock. It’s 5 o’clock.

“As much fun as this has been I think Eve will be unimpressed with our progress today.” He clicks the mouse closing the window.

Villanelle pouts but grabs her coat. Although her tolerance for Hugo exists he is also a male and their presence wears on Villanelle even on her best days.

“Want to go on an Instagram date?” Hugo says as they wait for the lift. “Perhaps getting out of the office will help.”

As part of her own character research Villanelle had gone to an improv class. Applying the rule of saying “yes” she learned she responds. “What did you have in mind?”

As Hugo gave her his elevator pitch Villanelle nodded along and decided that perhaps this momentary friendship might not kill her. They had many things in common, a good fashion sense and they both worked for Eve. That’s how friendship worked right? The lift opened to the ground floor and they bid each other farewell. Villanelle’s phone buzzed and she looked down at the text from Hugo. _I’ll have the car come around at 9 tomorrow._ She liked it and made her way back home to pack.

***********************************

“You two are where?!” Eve yells through the phone. Hugo reaches across the table and turns the volume down.

“The green screen practically begs to be called out. You want it airtight right?” Hugo speaks in a passable soothing tone.

Villanelle silently critiques that when soothing a person vocally it should be audience oriented and if Hugo knew anything about Eve it was that she was not one to be soothed with a melodic tone. She looks out at the clouds below them, she’s always liked flying. When one is at 40,000 feet it makes it somewhat difficult for people to want something from her. They’re always wanting.

“So you decided, without my clearance, to take a day trip to New York?!” Eve continues to shout at a speaking level as Hugo once again thumbs the volume control.

“Don’t worry Eve, it’s not coming out of our mission budget. I’m happy to treat.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t been murdered yet.” mutters Eve.

“Hugo is safe, he is with me.” Villanelle adds and is both concerned and offended at the aggressive snort that erupts from the phone.

“Fine but be back in 24 hours and be safe and don’t do anything stup-“

“Whoops sorry we have to go.” Hugo interrupts leaning forward. "The captain has turned on the seatbelt sign.” He taps the screen ending the call.

Villanelle smirks slightly, annoying Eve seems to be a hobby they share. The stewardess brings out two flutes of champagne. Hugo raises his glass towards her.

“To,” he pauses and tilts his head. “To?”

“To Eve.” Villanelle declares, because this is all about Eve.

*******************************************

“So where shall we start?” Hugo says as he struggles with both his and Villanelle’s luggage.

She had promptly turned and handed her bag to him to carry off the plane. Villanelle spots a gift shop and walks in. She purchases a deck of those cheesy tourist cards featuring places of New York and fans them out face down.

“Pick a card, any card.” She commands theatrically. Hugo drops their bags and plucks one.

They leave the fate of the day in the deck of cards visiting Rockefeller Center gardens, Central Park, the Brooklyn bridge, the Empire State building, and Time Square. Between sight-seeing Hugo and Villanelle played dress up with New York fashion boutiques and struck gold when they came upon a photo-shoot in the Rockefeller Center gardens. The photographer let them use the set and gave Villanelle his card if she was ever interested in modeling. Upon Hugo’s insistence on the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Museums, art galleries, why did people find this interesting. It was a whole lot of standing around looking at interpretations and you’re apparently supposed to form your own interpretation? Boring. Too much thinking. Villanelle had been to New York before but it had been in the earlier part of her assassin career and she had never felt the need to return to America since.

“What is it about Eve?” Hugo asks. “Like I get it, she’s hot and bossy but there’s many women like that.”

They both turn their heads as a pair of long legs in heels and a trenchcoat struts past.

“Eve is,” Villanelle swirls her tongue around her ice cream. “I’ve never felt this compelled by another person before. She sees me and I see her. When she looks at me it makes me feel like I’m more than just existing. Like I’m actually living.”

Hugo’s phone rings, he glanced at the screen and silenced the call. Villanelle’s phone rang a minute later.

“Hi Eve.” She made sure to make an extra loud slurping noise on her ice cream so Eve would know she was interrupting an important activity.

“Are you heading back yet? You can’t be jet lagged and fall asleep in that AA meeting.”

“We’re eating ice cream in Central Park.”

“What flavor?”

“Dulce de leche.”

“Tell Hugo that the next time I call he better pick up.”

“You’re very sexy when you’re bossy.” Villanelle says before ending the call.

“So I was thinking of The Ritz for dinner and then we fly back?” Hugo says popping the last of his cone into his mouth.

**************************************************

Villanelle leans back and watches the city lights pass by as they head to the airport.

“Want to look at the photos?” Hugo’s voice pulls her from her reverie.

She leans over and watches as he slowly scrolls. Billie looks good, looks real. A girl living life, making choices, good,bad, but still able to make choices. Sometimes Villanelle pretends she’s free, when she puts on a character. It’s like slipping into another skin and for a moment or a day she gets to live as someone else. But there’s always her underneath, lurking, coming out usually just at the right time. Sometimes the facade of her life slips and she wonders what it would feel like to be as they say "an autonomous individual." Whoops, and here we find ourselves again at the edge of the shallows, looking into the deep. Time to retreat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for making it to the end of this silly story, hope you liked it :)


End file.
